Former Beaufort County volunteer school drum teacher charged in federal court

A former school volunteer music teacher accused of trying to seduce a 14-year-old girl in Florida will also face a federal charge, according to court records.

Ryan Burd, 28, of Hilton Head Island was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Charleston on a charge of using the Internet to try to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity, according to his federal indictment.

The federal charge stems from his arrest Feb. 19 in Alachua County, Fla., on state charges of using a computer to seduce a minor, traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a minor, and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, according to court records.

Burd sent a 14-year-old girl Facebook messages implying he wanted to have sex with her and traveled to her home to do so, according to an Alachua County Sheriff's Office report. Burd reportedly kissed the girl, then left.

When Burd continued to send the victim messages through Facebook, deputies impersonated her and arranged to meet with Burd a second time at the girl's home, where he was then arrested, the report said.

Shortly after the arrest, Beaufort County School District spokesman Jim Foster said Burd applied as a volunteer in August and held after-school percussion classes for several groups and individuals at Bluffton Middle School and one student at Hilton Head Island High School.

Foster later said the schools' music teachers were unaware Burd had a longer history with the district. In 2008 and 2009, he volunteered with the Hilton Head Island High School drum line, Foster said.

Principals of both schools spoke directly with current band students and have received no complaints about Burd, Foster said. His volunteer status was suspended following his arrest, Foster said.

Burd was released Feb. 21 from the Alachua County Detention Center after posting $100,000 bond, according to court records. He was indicted in U.S. District Court in Florida on March 4, arrested Friday at his Hilton Head Island home by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Marshals Service, and arraigned Monday in Charleston.

Burd will be held at a detention center in Florida pending a federal bond hearing, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Bianchi of Charleston. His case in Alachua County also is pending.